سارا پرستا

Investigating how real book readers encounter translated literature as popular works in Iran, has many significant applications. Book readers have specific selection criteria when they purchase translated works of literature, which is highly important for literary translators, publishers, and those who work in the publishing industry, like copy-editors and book cover designers. Mounting on Chesterman’s (۲۰۰۷) ‘Responses’ concept as acts that lead to reactions towards translation, here book selection, the present research examined the factors that are effective in readers’ choices. The researcher interviewed ۲۵ readers and utilized related studies to design an online questionnaire. The link to the questionnaire was published on social media platforms, and its printed barcode was distributed in some bookstores in the city of Tehran. A total of ۶۱۱ Iranian book readers accepted the invitation to answer the questionnaire. The findings of the study revealed that readers pay more attention to the factors related to the genres and work types, the author, the translator, and the original work. The factors evident in the TT and ST are more important than the author's and translator's personal lives, which may indirectly affect the texts they produce. The similarity between the original work and the translated one, both textually and visually, is also of high importance for readers. Other results were also yielded regarding the importance of the publisher (and details about the physical characteristics of the book and copy-editing), the specifications of the translated work, and recommendations that motivate readers to choose books. On the whole, the study demonstrated that Iranian book readers spend considerable time selecting translated literature, suggesting they value and are interested in this type of work.